TD-LTE is likely to remain a China-only option, but Wang indicated that if Apple is happy to broaden its technology support beyond HSPA 3G to the CDMA EvDO technology used by America's Verizon, it will surely be equally keen to adopt China's version of LTE as much as the Western form of 4G.

Verizon supports LTE, and many observers were surprised the Verizon iPhone 4 was not an LTE device.

Wang said China Mobile and Apple have been discussing this for "two years" or so, and that now "the situation is moving forward". ®